Hawks arrest suspect after seven-year manhunt over police officer's murder

A seven-year manhunt for a suspect allegedly linked to the murder of a police officer and a subsequent carjacking has ended with his arrest in Kwaggafontein, Mpumalanga.

The 34-year-old suspect surrendered to police on Tuesday, following sustained tracing operations by the Hawks and SAPS.

He is accused of being involved in the murder of Constable Thabo Mdluli, 38, who was fatally shot during a police patrol on 23 May 2020.

Mdluli and two colleagues, a sergeant and a female constable, had stopped a white Toyota Corolla at the R573 Vlaklaagte No. 1 intersection after noticing three men inside the vehicle.

According to police, one of the occupants allegedly staged a medical emergency, apparently creating a distraction. When the officers ordered the occupants out of the vehicle, one suspect allegedly produced a firearm and opened fire.

Mdluli was fatally wounded while the suspects fled the scene. One occupant was left behind and allegedly claimed he had been the victim of a carjacking.

The investigation later yielded a breakthrough when fingerprints recovered from the vehicle during a forensic examination by the Local Criminal Record Centre allegedly linked the 34-year-old suspect to the crime.

A J50 warrant of apprehension was subsequently issued, while investigators continued tracing the suspect and visiting addresses linked to him and his relatives.

The efforts eventually resulted in the suspect handing himself over at Kwaggafontein Police Station on Tuesday.

He has been charged with murder and carjacking and remains in custody. He is expected to appear before the Mokobola Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

Mpumalanga Hawks provincial head Major General Nico Gerber commended investigators for pursuing the case despite the passage of time.

“A murder does not expire with time. The investigation continues until those responsible are brought before the courts,” Gerber said.

The arrest followed cooperation between Kwaggafontein detectives and the Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit in Middelburg.